Residential Architect Design Awards

LC Ranch, Three Forks, Mont.

custom / more than 3,000 square feet / merit

Lake|Flato Architects kept two regional precedents in mind when designing this Montana getaway. The earth-sheltered sod houses of the Great Plains pioneers intrigued them, as did the classic wooden barn. “We try to take notice of how people lived on the land before,” says David Lake, FAIA.

He and fellow design team members Bill Aylor, AIA, and Trey Rabke opted to stretch the house along its dramatic site, nestling the sleeping quarters into a hillside to protect it from sun and wind. Similarly, a separate guesthouse/garage is carved into the earth. Between these two hunkered-down, sod-roofed elements lies the home’s main public space, a barnlike building with a porch at either end. It holds a kitchen, living room, and dining room, and oversized glass sliding doors let the owners open it up to the site when the weather allows.

“The house fits the landscape extremely well,” said a judge. “I love the way it addressed the climate.”